FDA Approves the Heroin Overdose Antidote

It’s indeed great news that now people can save their near and dear ones from overdose of strong painkillers and drugs like opioids and heroin. FDA has just approved a handy gadget that automatically injects the correct dose of an antidote called naloxone just in time.

Doctors could prescribe it as an important tool in first aid kit. Opioids include OxyContin, Vicodin, and even restricted drugs like heroin. Recently, observing the rise in number of deaths due to drugs overdose, it has been decided that general public will be supplied with a gadget named Evzio that contains naloxone, which is primarily used as an antidote for overdose through syringes in the hospitals.

The FDA stated that its design makes it convenient for anyone to use it at home. Once turned on, it starts with verbal instructions, just like defibrillators, which people generally use to provide immediate help to patients who unexpectedly collapse due to a sudden cardiac attack.

It is as small as a credit card or tiny mobile phone, and the FDA highlighted that the antidote is not an alternative to urgent medical care, because anyone who has been given an overdose, will still require medical treatment.

The cost of the antidote is still not revealed by the manufacturer, as reported by Kalio Inc. of Richmond. Discussions are still going on with health insurers to get a broad coverage, and then some pricing point could probably be arrived at.

Eric Edwards stated that the antidote is not meant just for heroin overdose, but even for those who have accidentally taken overdoses of any prescribed drugs, and are now suffering from slower breathing, loss of consciousness or other similar issues.

As many as 16,000 people lose their lives on an annual basis due to opioid overdoses, and drug overdose deaths are now considered the leading reason of accidental deaths in the US, and the numbers are reported to be even higher than the number of road accidents, according to the FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.

This announcement tries to propagate the usage of antidote through the help of state. Now about 17 states have legalized the distribution of naloxone.